Spaces: A high-rise aerie high above the fray

Cool colors, city view relieve stress for busy couple.

By Megan Stacy

Published 11:40 pm, Friday, October 7, 2011

When Sonya Medina Williams and her husband, Gene Williams, walk in their front door, they are coming home to a haven that literally lets them rise above the daily demands of their active professional lives.

They live on a high floor of the Olmos Tower Condominiums, and the view from their south-facing windows is filled with a wide expanse of treetops and the downtown skyline. The view is what originally sold Sonya on the property.

“I remember walking into the condo and falling in love with the eye-level view of our city,” Sonya says.

This view is not just visible outside; multiple mirrored walls in the home capture it, almost framing the view like a piece of art, while also amplifying the natural light.

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The cross-lighting makes the 1,600-square-foot space airy and soothing, an effect reinforced by the Williams' design choices.

Much of the space adheres to a disciplined color palette of white, gray, gold and black tones. Walls are painted in cream or gray; many pieces of furniture are upholstered in white; black is present in countertops and ironwork; and gold glints off a sunburst mirror, a chandelier and geometric designs on throw pillows.

The crisp color palette creates links across the rooms. In a space where so many mirrors reflect one room into another, the tight color cohesion unifies the entire home.

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Much of the condo's design inspiration came from Sonya's experiences living on the East coast. A San Antonio native, she spent 10 years living and working in New York City and Washington, D.C., including several years as a White House staff member. When she returned to San Antonio, she brought with her an appreciation for the beauty of well-preserved antiques and the freshness of urban design.

Those influences mean that the living area features a mix of elements including antique French chairs, custom-made contemporary sofas, a molded acrylic coffee table and prints of black-and-white Picasso line drawings.

Similarly, the master bedroom features more antique chairs juxtaposed against a custom bed frame whose tailored headboard and footboard are tufted in white linen.

The custom furniture was built by the couple's Houston-based designer, Ashley Goforth, who worked with them to create a sophisticated, functional and personalized design.

“Ashley has created a space that is our own, not something I saw in a magazine or on travels,” Sonya says. “It's our space now. It's original.”

One thing Goforth encouraged the couple to do was strategically introduce color into the design. The guest bedroom, for example, adheres to the established color scheme with its dark gray walls, white linens, white lacquer table, gold leopard-print pillows and black headboards trimmed in silver nail tacks.

But a glass-topped table skirted in a jewel-like turquoise stands out all the more among the other predominant tones.

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Touches like these enliven each room and represent an intentional injection of fun that balances the refined design.

These unexpected elements, what Sonya calls “eye-stoppers,” include a deer trophy mounted in the guest bedroom, a carved dog decoupaged in newsprint standing at attention in the living room and a black chair shaped like a human hand in the dining room.

But the Williams' didn't include too many eye-stoppers because they recognized that the view itself provided its own colors and visual interest.

High above the city, the couple is happy to look out onto that view and enjoy the soothing retreat they've created together.

“There is something heavenly about coming into this peaceful haven and being above the craziness for a couple hours,” Sonya says.